Virginia senators demand action on wait times at VA medical centers

Both Virginia senators are urging action from new Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin in the wake of a report on long wait times at veterans hospitals in the state.

The recommendations from Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark R. Warner, along with four of their colleagues, come in the wake of an Inspector General's audit that questioned data on patient wait times for VA hospitals in the Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network, which includes Virginia and North Carolina.

In a letter to Shulkin, the senators recommended several measures, including:

-- a nationwide retraining of schedulers, virtual or in-person. They also want to know how VA staff were trained on outpatient scheduling and consult directives released last year, and if employees have been held accountable for not following them.

-- an analysis of why it took an average of 42 days for VA hospital staff in the Mid-Atlantic region to authorize care through the Veterans Choice program, which gives veterans the chance to seek care in the community. "This timeline is unacceptable," the letter states.

-- require scheduling audits. The IG report found that facilities did not consistently conduct these audits.

The IG's report covered VA hospitals in the Mid-Atlantic region, which includes those in Hampton and Richmond.

Also signing the letter were Sens. John Tester, D-Mont.; Johnny Isakson, R-Ga.; and North Carolina Republicans Richard Burr and Thom Tillis.